The Czech Republic is making news this week on two fronts in the news of the weird. First, in order to reduce speed and thus accidents, cardboard cutouts of policewomen in miniskirts are being placed on the sides of roads in Czech towns. And, then, perhaps even stranger, Matthew Day reports in The Telegraph that the Czech Republic is doing “phallometric testing” on asylum seekers to test if they’re gay. The voluntary tests are aimed at “distinguish[ing] true asylum seekers from those that might use claims of homosexuality and subsequent persecution back home as ruse to get into the country.” The country’s human rights commission calls the tests “undignified.” Indeed.

Budget Cuts May Cost Baby’s Life

A six-month old Indiana child, Seth Petreikis, has a rare disease that renders him without an immune system. Reports CNN‘s Mia Aquino, there is a doctor who could perform the surgery that might just save the young boy’s life, but the cost–a whopping $350,000 to $500,000–isn’t covered by Medicaid in Indiana. The boy’s mother told the Northwest indiana Times that “it’s like he’s been sentenced to death” and is hoping that the governor of Indiana will intervene on behalf of young Seth. I rarely express my own views here, but we often talked in the health-care debate about so-called “death panels” and the rationing of health care, and what was lost in that debate is that we’re already rationing health care in this country, by socioeconomic status. If this boy’s parents were millionaires, there would be no question that he would have the surgery. Of course, our health-care spending resources can’t afford to pay for every experimental treatment in every case, and tough choices have to be made, but when you’re dealing with just one case, it’s heart-wrenching, and I will say that I encourage Mitch Daniels and the state of Indiana to intervene on Seth’s behalf. [h/t Gannon Hester]

What Do Google, the U.S. Military, Los Angeles, and Albertson’s Have In Common?

They all made this year’s top 50 happiest companies. According to CareerBliss.com, “these companies score highest on a scale of 1 to 5 based on the levels of bliss in the following categories: growth opportunity, compensation, benefits, work-life balance, career advancement, senior management, job security and whether the employee would recommend the company to others.” Google received the #1 ranking, and as one review of the company reported in LiveScience says, “Google is the place to be. There are smart people everywhere. Google and innovation go hand in hand.”

Cell Phones Cause Behavioral Problems in Children

A new study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health by UCLA researchers has found that “children of mothers who used cell phones, and who also used cell phones themselves, there was a 50% relative increase in reported behavioral problems,” reports Steven Novella in the Neurologica Blog. Novella warns us that “while [this study is] sure to garner headlines, [it] is not compelling evidence that cell phones are a health concern with regard to behavioral problems in children.” Maybe, but anyone who’s ever gone to dinner with friends knows that cell phones cause behavioral problems writ large, as many of us big children can’t get through dinner without checking our e-mails and texts 20 million times. (Guilty.) [h/t Michael Ray]

Rugby on IceNo, it’s not the latest traveling Disney spectacular. Ice rugby is a new sport in Poland, reports Thomas Crestodina of the Krakow Post. According to Crestodina, Adam Gołąb “is the progenitor and promoter of what is almost certainly the world’s only rugby on ice organisation.” In order to save the players from serious injury, “they play a touch version of the game,” though Gołąbis planning to get a full-contact game going. Perhaps if it can gain enough followers, it might get into the Winter Olympics, where perhaps it could challenge curling for out and out excitement and drama.

The Cat Scratches Again Fever

In the feel-good animal story of the day, Scrub, a Russian blue and tabby cat that had disappeared five years ago, following Hurricane Katrina, has been reunited with his ecstatic owners, says Pam Firmin in the Biloxi (Miss.) Hearld Online. Technology, and a little luck of course, was the primary factor, as Scrub had been implanted with a microchip. As the cats’ owner, Jennifer Noble, put it, “If he could talk, I’m sure he has quite a story to tell us.” Indeed.

The Tron HotelNext Friday, Tron Legacy debuts in theaters, but for those of you who can’t wait for the theater, you can enjoy Tron 24/7 at this new (and amazing) Tron-inspired Swedish ice hotel, reports Hugh Hart in Wired. Definitely click on the previous link for great pictures. And, see below the video of the making of the ice hotel. Those crazy Swedes.

I’ll be taking the rest of the year off from this column. Enjoy your holidays, and see you in 2011.